Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol. 12, No.

1, 83-98, 2015

A Study of Single and Two-Plane

Balancing Using Influence
Coefficient Method

Wan Sulaiman Wan Mohamad*

A. A. Mat Isa
M.A Ismail
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia
40450 Shah Alam, Malaysia
Email: *wsulaiman@salam.uitm.edu.my

ABSTRACT

Unbalance effect on rotating element is a condition resulted from an off centered

mass concentration about a rotor’s rotating centerline which will then generate
centrifugal forces with increasing running speeds. This phenomenon will bring
about excessive noise and vibration which in turn causing damages to the
rotating elements and its support mechanism. To overcome this problem, a
correction is required so as to minimize the excessive vibration as low as possible.
In this study, unbalance problems including single and two-plane balancing are
studied extensively by using theoretical influence coefficient method followed by
the experimental verifications. Experimental procedure is performed by using
trial mass to calculate the influence coefficient and the corrected mass values as
well as the phase angles. The studies cover the static and dynamics balancing
for the single plane and two-plane balancing respectively. Finally, the vibration
reduction of the rotor is compared theoretically and experimentally. Based on
the results, the improved vibration reduction could be obtained reasonably for
both single and two-plane balancing by using influence coefficient method.
Keywords: Vibration, rotor balancing, influent coefficient method, static and
dynamic balancing

ISSN 1823-5514
© 2015 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia.

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Nomenclature

Y Displacement vector due to unbalance force

F Unbalance force vector
a Vibration response in term of velocity vector (mm/s)
α Influence coefficient Vector
T Trial Mass Vector
m Correction Mass
Y11 Displacement Vector at point 1 due to force F1
Y21 Displacement Vector at point 2 due to force F1
Y12 Displacement Vector at point 1 due to force F2
Y22 Displacement Vector at point 2 due to force F2
L1 Vector of Initial vibration readings at left plane
R1 Vector of Initial vibration readings at right plane
TL Vector of Trial mass at left plane
TR Vector of Trial mass at Right plane
L2 Vector of vibration reading at left plane due to TL
R2 Vector of vibration reading at right plane due to TL
L3 Vector of vibration reading at left plane due to TR
R3 Vector of vibration reading at right plane due to TR
αaR Influence coefficient vector of left plane due to TR
αbR Influence coefficient vector of right plane due to TR
αaL Influence coefficient vector of left plane due to TL
αbL Influence coefficient vector of right plane due to TL
W1 Correction Mass 1
W2 Correction Mass 1
WR Correction Mass on Right Plane
WL Correction Mass on Left Plane
β1, β2 Predetermined angle on rotors

Introduction

Balancing is a technique of correcting or eliminating unwanted inertia forces

or moments in rotating or reciprocating masses and it can be achieved by
changing the location of the mass centers. The objectives of balancing are to
ensure the center of gravity of the system remains stationery during a complete
revolution of the crank shaft and the couples involved in acceleration of the
different moving parts balance each other [5]. Unbalance problem is the most
common phenomenon occurring in rotating machinery. The implications are
quite substantial which may lead to failure such as bearing failures, crack rotors,
bent shafts and unpleasant noises [5, 6, 8 and 13]. Consequently, the machines’
reliability reduces considerably, hence affecting the machine lifespan [9]. Apart

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 A Study of Single and Two-Plane Balancing Using Influence Coefficient Method

from that, vibrations set up highly undesirable alternating stresses in structures

which may eventually lead to structural failure.
Unbalance can happen due to some residual unbalance left in the finished
part of the rotating elements caused by slight variation in the density of the
material, inaccuracies in the casting and inaccuracies in machining of the parts.
Apart from that, it occurs due to the deterioration of one of the part in the rotating
machinery such as blades.
In rotating mass system unbalance occurs when the center of gravity CG
drifted off from the rotational axis, O as depicted in Figure 1 [6]. Hence, with
rotational speed ω, it creates a centrifugal force, F, [5].

Figure 1: Centrifugal force and acted direction

Centrifugal force acts radially outward away from the rotational axis. The
magnitude is affected by three quantities i.e. mass, radius and angular velocity,
as in Equation (1). In order to ensure that the rotating mass system is always in
balanced state, the centrifugal force should be reduced or possibly eliminated.
Thus, balancing is utterly significant for the rotating system as the balancing
field accounts for approximately 80% of the rotating equipment problems [7].
F = meω2 (1)
The primary purpose of balancing is to ensure that the machinery is safe
and reliable [5]. Its reduction or elimination will minimize the structural stresses
and hence, the machine will operate within the acceptable vibration level [5, 6].
Regular balancing practices could minimize possibility of fatigue failure of the
machine’s components and also minimize the power loss [6].
There are many types of unbalance practices found in rotordynamics
such as static unbalance, couple unbalance, dynamic unbalance and quasi-

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static unbalance [4, 5, and 6]. In this study, the static unbalance in single
plane and dynamic unbalance in two planes will be analyzed theoretically and
experimentally. There are two types of balancing category namely on-line and
off-line balancing [6]. This study focuses on the rigid rotor off-line balancing,
in particular.
With regards to the methods of balancing, there are several methods that
have been in practice in rotordynamics including vector method with phase, four-
run method, static-couple method, modal balancing, influence coefficient method
and unified balancing method [3]. Vector method is a technique of balancing
by plotting vibration readings including magnitude and phase angle to a polar
graph paper [9]. Then, balance corrections are computed by determining the
difference between baseline and trial weight vectors and scaling the resultant to
obtain the corrective mass and its phase angle [3]. When the data of phase angle
is unavailable, the balancing can still be performed by using four-run method
[3]. Contrary to that, in modal balancing the knowledge of lateral critical speed
of the rotor and mode shape are of important criteria to be known before further
balancing steps could be implemented [5,12]. In this research, the influence
coefficient method will be used in order to theoretically calculate the corrected
mass required to the rotor at a specified phase angle.
The influent coefficient method has become a powerful tool in solving
the balancing problem either in off-line or on-line balancing [10]. This method
requires the least number of trials mass compared to modal balancing method.
Influence coefficient balancing is the determination of how a unit of unbalance
at various mass locations along the lateral axis is reduced by selecting discrete
correction masses [6]. In single plane balancing procedure, initially, the rotor
will rotate with certain speed without trial mass and the reading of the vibration
is recorded. A trial mass is then placed at any angle of the disc and the vibration
reading is recorded. The trial mass then is removed and the correction mass can
be obtained from the theoretical calculation. On the other hand, the additional
vibration measurement is needed in two-plane balancing by virtue of two trial
masses are to be attached at two different planes alternately. The ultimate goal
of the study is to verify experimentally the theoretical results of influence
coefficient method for both single and two-plane rotor system.

Influence Coefficient Method

a. Single Plane Balancing

The rotor of the single-plane balancing is located in the mid of two bearings.
This can be represented as in Figure 2.

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 A Study of Single and Two-Plane Balancing Using Influence Coefficient Method

Figure 2: Position of a disc in a single-plane balancing

When the unbalance disc rotates, it will produce centrifugal force.

Centrifugal force will always act out of the center of rotation. Static balancing
involves resolving primary forces into one plane and adding correction mass in
that plane only. Figure 3 depicts the displacement of shaft under a force F.
Displacement of the shaft, Y due to the force resulted from the unbalance
rotation
Y = αF (2)
Influence coefficient can be obtained experimentally by formula:
Y (3)
α=
F

Figure 3: The displacement of a rotor system under a force, F

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Figure 4 illustrates the vectors involved for the unbalance conditions

without and with trial mass.

(a) Initial vibration vector of unbalance rotor (First run)

(b) Vibration vector of unbalance rotor with trial mass (Second run)

Figure 4: Obtaining the influence coefficient from the resultant vector.

From the vectors, the influence coefficient for single plane balancing
can be determined. The influence coefficient vector, α can be computed similar
to the Equation (3) as:
∆
α= (4)
T

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In order to balance the unbalanced rotor system, a correction mass, m

must be added to the rotor so that the effect of centrifugal force produced from
the operation can be eliminated. The placement of the corrected mass must be
180° apart to that of the calculated vibration phase angle. The corrected mass
as well as the angle can be determined by the following formula.
a1
W= (5)
α
Substitution the Eq. 5 into Equation (4) gives rise:
a1
W= ∆ ×T (6)

b. Two-Plane Balancing
Figure 5 shows the arrangement of two-plane rotor system.

Figure 5: Two-plane rotor system

Similar to that of single-plane, the correction of unbalance can be solved

by resolving unbalance forces at plane 1 (left plane) and plane 2 (right plane)
as shown in Figure 6. In this case, trial masses will be attached to both planes
alternately. Initially the plane 1 will be attached by a trial mass, TL and then
followed by plane 2, denoted by TR. The effect of this trial mass will give the
displacement of shaft as follows.

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(a) Displacement of shaft under force F1

(b) Displacement of shaft under force F2

Figure 6: Displacements of shaft under two different forces in planes 1 and 2

The displacements of shaft due to forces F1 and F2 at both planes can

be written as:
Displacements due to force 1 and force 2:
Y11 = α11F1
Y21 = α21F1
Y12 = α12F2
Y22 = α22F2 (7)
By method of superposition, the total displacements at planes 1 and 2
can be written in matrix form:
⎡Y 1 ⎤ ⎡a11 a12 ⎤ ⎡ F1 ⎤
⎢Y ⎥ = ⎢a ⎥⎢ ⎥
⎣ 2 ⎦ ⎣ 21 a 22 ⎦ ⎣ F2 ⎦ (8)

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And for the two-plane balancing, the Equation (8) can be specifically
written as:

⎡ R1 ⎤ ⎡a bR a bL ⎤ ⎡W R ⎤
⎢ L ⎥ = ⎢a a aL ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣W L ⎥⎦
⎣ 1 ⎦ ⎣ aR (9)

L 2 − L1 L − L1 R − R1
Where a aR = , a aL = 3 , a bR = 2 and
TR TL TR
R 3 − R1
a bL =
TL

Correction mass will produce vibration of equal and opposite to the

vibration due to unbalance mass. Hence, the correction mass and appropriate
position can be determined by using the formula as follows:
– R1 = WRαbR + WLαbL (10)

– L1 = WRαaR + WLαaL (11)

Finally, the corrected masses for two-plane balancing can be computed
analytically by the method of vectors as:
R1αaR – L1αbR
WL = α α – α α (12)
bR aL aR bL

L1αbL – R1αaL
WR = α α – α α (13)
bR aL aR bL

The experiment of rotor balancing can be depicted as in Figure 7.

The experimental set up consists of rotor equipment, accelerometers, a data
collector and a digital balance. Accelerometers are attached at each bearing for
the purpose of measuring the vibrations. The data collector then records the
measured vibration readings.

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Figure 7: The rotor balancing experiment

Mass Correction Determination

In the experiment, the rotor has a number of drilled holes located at two different
radii as shown in Figure 8. Each hole is 15° apart to each other. Should the
calculated phase angle obtained from the influence coefficient method does
not lie in the designated hole, then the corrected mass at the specified angle, β
has to be broke into parts. This can be illustrated as in Figure 8. For this reason,
the phase angles (β1 and β2) have to be predetermined first and followed by the
calculation as below:
sin(β – β2)
W1 = ×m (14)
sin(β1 – β2)

sin(β – β1)
W2 = ×m (15)
sin(β1 – β2)

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Figure 8: The rotor used in the experiment

Figure 9: Breaking the correction mass vector into two vectors

The Equations (14) and (15) are also applicable for the two-plane
balancing.

Results and Discussion

Both results for single and two-plane balancing are explained at length in the
following sections.

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Single-plane balancing
The rotor’s mass, trial weight radius and rotor’s speed for the single-plane
balancing are 0.264 kg, 50 mm and 24.72 Hz respectively. Table 1 shows the
result of single-plane balancing. In this single-plane balancing experiment, the
vibration readings for first and second runs determine the theoretical influence
coefficient. From Equation (4), the influence coefficient is:
α = 0.1411 ∠ − 116.8°
The trial mass then is calculated based on Equation (5) as:
W = 14.37 ∠ 227.17°
Since the calculated angle does not lie in the designated holes, the mass
has to be broke into two parts. The selected angles are 210° and 255°. The
respective mass corrections as derived from Equation (14) and Equation (15)
are:
W1 = 9.49 g and W2 = 6.00 g
Table 1 also shows the experimental results as suggested by the Didactics
Test Bench. The initial reading of vibration is 2.028 mm/s and it reduces to
0.178 mm/s and 0.19 mm/s for both theoretical and experimental studies after
the balancing is completely done. These figures account for 91.22% and 90.23%
vibration reductions for the respective theoretical calculation and experimental
identification as tabulated in Table 2.

Table 1: Results for the single-plane balancing

No. of Run Weight (g) Corrected mass (g) Vibration reading (mm/s)

1 - - 2.028∠290.37°
2 8.17∠225° - 1.143∠262.28°
9.49∠210.0°
Theoretical 14.37∠227.17° 0.178∠336.95°
6.00∠255.0°
9.48∠210.0°
Experimental 14.37∠227.19° 0.198∠341.25°
6.01∠255.0°

Table 2: Vibration reductions for the single-plane balancing

Theoretical Experimental
% Vibration Reduction 91.22 % 90.23 %

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Two-plane balancing
For the two-plane balancing, the rotor’s mass, trial weight radius and rotor’s speed
are 0.5298 kg, 50 mm and 38.12 Hz respectively. The result of experimentation
can be tabulated as in Table 3. The initial readings of vibration are found 19.32
mm/s and 4.717 mm/s respectively for the left and right planes. Based on the
vibration readings for the first till third runs, the initial readings for the planes
1 and 2 can be computed in terms of influence coefficients and written as:

⎡ 4.717∠115.71° ⎤ ⎡0.525∠ − 45.11° 1.039∠165.40° ⎤ ⎡W R ⎤

⎢19.320∠224.26°⎥ = ⎢0.266∠221.22° 0.786∠ − 2.51°⎥ ⎢W ⎥
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦⎣ L ⎦

Solving the above matrices give:

WR = 9.16∠79.25° and WL = 6.94∠89.06°

The masses are then broke into two for each plane and the result of the
calculated correction masses can be seen in Table 3. The vibrations reductions
recorded are 6.13 mm/s and 1.172 mm/s for the respective left and right planes
by the ICM, which is by the theoretical determination. On the other hand, the
vibration readings reduce to 6.42 mm/s and 1.241 mm/s for the respective left and
right planes by the experimental identification. Those figures can be summarized
in Table 4 in terms of the vibration reductions. All in all, the theoretical results
show better vibration reduction compared to the experimental identification.
Though, the discrepancies are slight in percentages.

Conclusions and Recomendations

The study carried out has successfully verified the experimental results for both
single and two-plane balancing. The results of corrected masses and phase angles
obtained for this research are best applied for the experimented running speed
of the rotor. However, for a rotor that operates at a particular range of speeds,
the research has to be done for some various speed conditions. The variation of
vibration readings can then be leveraged by the least-squares method [11]. Of
course, the percentage of vibration reductions achieved for a specified range of
speeds would not be the same and definitely be lowered than that obtained in this
research. Furthermore, for more improved vibration reductions, it is suggested
that the rotor be operated as close as possible to the natural frequencies of the
rotor system [14].

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Table 1: Results for the single-plane balancing

Trial mass (g) Correction Mass (g) Vibration (mm/s)

No. of Run Plane 1 Plane 2 Plane 1 Plane 2 Plane 1 Plane 2
1 No No - - 19.32∠224.26° 4.717∠115.71°
2 9.67∠90° - - - 2.85∠240.56° 7.98∠78.81°
3 - 5.27∠135° - - 19.63∠212.09° 0.865∠326.85°
3.42∠60° 3.81∠75° 6.13∠320.52° 1.172∠63.23°
Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Theoretical 9.16∠79.25° 6.94∠89.06°

6.04∠90° 3.37∠105°

96
3.41∠60° 3.81∠75° 6.42∠290.05° 1.241∠29.31°
Experimental 9.16∠79.26° 6.94∠89.07°
6.04∠90° 3.38∠105°

Table 4: Vibration reductions for the two-plane balancing

Theoretical Experimental
Plane 1 Plane 2 Plane 1 Plane 2
% Vibration Reduction 68.00 % 75.00 % 67.00 % 74.00 %

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Acknowledgements

The authors are pleased to acknowledge the Malaysian Ministry of Higher

Education (MOHE) and Research Management Institute (RMI) of Universiti
Teknologi Mara (UiTM) for providing financial support for this study through
a research grant RIF.

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